Monument record MDO2261 - Heedless William, Puddletown
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Summary
A stone called Heedless William situated on the south side of the road opposite Heedless William's pond. The stone, mentioned in 1270 and noted by Hutchins in 1774, was at one time considered to be a boundary cross and it has also been suggested that it is a Roman milestone. The probability of it being Roman is based on its morphology and proximity to a Roman Road.
Map
Type and Period (2)
Full Description
The remains of an old boundary cross are situated on the south side of the road opposite Heedless William's Pond. <1>
Pope stated that it has been conjectured that this stone which now serves as a boundary stone, was a Roman milestone and may have been taken from the Roman road (RR 4e). <3>
SY 73149128. A circular shaft of sandstone with broken top, standing 1.7m above ground level and 0.4m diameter is situated on the north side of the road and not the south side as stated by Hutchins. <4>
The stone situated east of Heedless William's Pond (SY 73149128) is surely marked in error on OS maps as the remains of a cross. <5>
Mills refers to lapiden voc' Heuedles William - 'the stone called Headless William' which is mentioned in 1270 and must refer to 'the remains of a cross' noted in 1774 by Hutchins and so marked on the OS 6" just south of the pond on the Puddletown/Stinsford parish boundary. <6>
SY 73139128. A stone situated on the Stinsford/Puddletown boundary, and as described by (4) save that it has flattish sides with rounded corners, much weathered but retaining the marks of stroked tooling. It is doubtful if it was ever a cross shaft. The conjectural possibility of a Roman milestone can be based on its proximity to the Roman road, and similarity to the Stinsford milestone in height and girth. The Stinsford stone is, however, of limestone, is similar in section only nearer the base and has 'pecked' tooling. The name Heedless William is not used locally but is clearly perpetuated in the nearby 'Headless Williams' Pond'. Positioned correctly on 1:2500 M.S.D. <7>
Sources/Archives (12)
- <1> SWX1269 Monograph: Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds). 1863. The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2. Vol 2. 616.
- <2> SWX1540 Map: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Map 6in. 6 inch to 1 mile. 1902.
- <3> SWX1408 Bibliographic reference: Pope, A. 1906. Old Stone Crosses of Dorset.
- <4> SWX1169 Unpublished document: Swatridge, G C. Various. Field Investigators Comments GCS. F1 GCS 06-DEC-54.
- <5> SDO57 Serial: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 1959. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1957. 79. 110-112.
- <6> SWX972 Monograph: Mills, A D. 1977. The place-names of Dorset, Part 1: the Isle of Purbeck, the hundreds of Rowbarrow, Hasler, Winfrith, Culliford Tree, Bere Regis, Barrow, Puddletown St George. 52. 384pp. 370.
- <6.1> SDO20173 Unpublished document: 1372. Cartulary of Christchurch Priory (1372) in BM (Cotton Tib. D V1).
- <6.2> SWX2949 Monograph: Hutchins, J. 1774. The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 1. 1st edition. Vol 1. 487.
- <7> SDO11903 Unpublished document: Quinnell, N V. Various. Field Investigators Comments NVQ. F2 NVQ 07-JAN-81.
- <8> SDO88 Serial: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 1989. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1988. 110. 161-163.
- <9> SDO16328 Serial: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 2013. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 2012. 134. 61-7.
- <10> SDO14739 Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 455011.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Location
| Grid reference | SY 7314 9128 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | SY79SW |
| Civil Parish | Puddletown; Dorset |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Other Statuses/References
- Legacy UID: Dorset Sites and Monuments Record: 1 094 076
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: SY 79 SW 20
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 455011
Record last edited
Nov 9 2023 9:42AM
